John Goodman's audition and how he got the role on 'Roseanne'

Ahead of the March premiere of the Roseanne reboot, 20/20 delved into the show’s past, including John Goodman’s original audition for the role of Dan Connor. Goodman was already a seasoned actor with dozens of credits to his name, including classics such as Revenge of the Nerds and Raising Arizona, but he wasn’t too familiar with Roseanne Barr.

“All I knew about Roseanne Barr, that she was a rising comedian and she was on a Pizza Hut commercial,” Goodman said. “That’s the only time I’d ever seen her.”

Goodman said he and Barr hit it off from the beginning and made each other laugh. He felt he had the job as soon as he left the audition — and he was right. Producer Tom Werner said they never even considered anyone else for the role. Barr also knew immediately that Goodman was the man for the job.

“We kind of bonded over making each other laugh, and he has a working-class background too — so I knew he was the guy,” Barr said. “As soon as I read with him, I knew we had a hit show.”